I think it’s because he’s about to go to sleep. It wouldn’t surprise me that because the amulet is a bridge between the waking world and dreamland if part of the procedure is done awake and part is done asleep.

Or maybe he’s a guy who knows how to slouch when he sits down. Homer Simpson style

I’ve been getting strong suspicions that Merlin might be in on this whole thing ever since he started encouraging Arthur to keep everything secret from Nic while also bringing more humans to Dreamland even though Nic insisted it would disrupt the peace of Dreamland itself.

The whole conflict between Arthur and Nic with Arthur being convinced that humans need to see Dreamland for there to be peace and Nic being convinced that bringing humans to Dreamland would cause chaos might be entirely the wraiths’ doing.

Arthur: “Merlin insisted that I relinquish the sword for the duration of the procedure.”
*SCHUNK!*
Nicodemus: “OW!”
Arthur: “NICODEMUS?! What are you doing here?”
Nicodemus: “Don’t ask.”
Arthur: “And HOW did you get into that stone box?!”
Nicodemus: “Determination and a crowbar. Now get me some asprin and call a trauma surgeon and my chiropractor.”

I must agree with some of the above posters, it looks like Arthur is feeling weak or tired. I had wondered initially if, by letting go of the sword, he was starting to get pulled out of Dreamland or something, but I’m guessing that the whole “sword-brings-you-into-Dreamland” thing hasn’t actually started yet at this point in the chronology.

As far as the updates go, I’d rather see only one or two per week than get five that you had to lose sleep over, Mr. Sava.

I don’t understand the idea that relinquishing the sword made Arthur ‘weak’. Alex has had it out of his hands multiple times and hasn’t been weakened. I suppose if we postulate that whatever procedure is about to take place changes how the sword affects its bearer, it could make sense. Or perhaps Arthur is relinquishing it in more than just a physical sense…

Nope…I think Arthur is just one of those awesome people fully capable of slouching.

I think you should restore the dialog. It wasn’t obvious to me as to what Arthur was doing in that 3rd panel. Is it exhaustion, did he slip? Having him state that he needs to sit would help clarify, IMO.

agree on the dialog restoration. my only real nit-pick on the last couple of pages is i can’t really tell where the light sources are coming from. from the entrance of the cave is one, but yesterday there was definitely another. from above? in front of them? it doesn’t seem to be there today.

i would have laughed my butt of if he would have made that comment but i still love the look on his face in the last pannel. scott don’t worry about the buffer we all understand about how busy things can get epically with 2 boys and them being out of school for the summer. I haven’t seen you on lar’s ustream in a while. I hope everything is well in you family.

I think the original dialogue is best. I wasn’t sure what he was doing sitting down. It gave me the impression that he was tired and wanted to sleep within his dream.

I wouldn’t mind going to 2-3 days a week; not for the sake of quality pages right off the bat but to let you have time for everything else. Getting the movie out will bring in a ton of new fans, I’m sure of it.

Interesting! So if Arthur wakes up while he’s in this spot, and a stone tomb is built over it… Arthur will be trapped every time he comes to dreamland! That would be a pretty effective way to thwart Arthur’s plans.

One of the great things about comics is that they are produced on a deadline. Think of all the amazing comics that are as great as they are because of deadline pressure. Perfectionism like you describe is pretty recent.

Why do I get the feeling the centaur set Arthur up? With the emphasis on which hand the amulet was in and being instructed to do so… seems like there could be a double cross.

And yeah, he does look like he collapses with weakness. It’s the way his left hand is down on the ground the way a person would do in order to prop themselves up because they can no longer stand. Maybe a more of an upright position? I’m guessing he’s like that because he’s in the process of laying down…

I notice the quote from Ephesians (perhaps just a placeholder text itself) from page twenty is not engraved on the front of the stone where the sword is ensconced. The magic barrier is not in place either, so perhaps those things occur at a later time. LOVE the comic, Scott. By all means know that most all your fans would understand an occasional break as needed. We know you’re a dedicated (and talented) workaholic for us and appreciate that, but family and health issues take presidence. It’s OKAY to, say, take a Friday off to make a long weekend, even if it is just to get a buffer page under your belt. Just let us know so we don’t worry needlessly.

Woo! I finally caught up! I’ve been making my way through the archives and finally made it to today’s. (Thank goodness for that bookmark feature!) I’ve been so caught up in the story, only now do I get a chance to slow down and really admire the artwork here. I just want to say, I love the website: the design, the beautiful backdrop that changes between day and night, the nifty bookmark, the jukebox. I’ve seen some of these features mentioned in your blogs as they came trickling in, but coming to it all now as a new reader it looks Very Professional.

On a plot note – it’s all coming full circle! Dreamland is coming into place as the land that Alex knew as a child. I’ve zoomed through the story in a few days, and now I have to slow down and get it page by page along with the rest of you, haha!

Scott, it sounds like your life is tough right now, but I want to say I’m amazed at all the work you’ve already put into this, and thank you for being so dedicated to this story and to your fans!

Scott, please, seriously, ive been reading your comic for a while now, and enjoying the hell outta it every day, if you have to miss a couple, i seriously dont think anyone here will suddenly start screaming for your head, or forming lynch mobs

So the cave is bugging me, sometimes it looks like the walk in to cave directly to the hall of kings, and other times there are hidden shadows out of no where, and other time there are stairs and curves. Maybe I am just confused, but I went back and looked at the initial scenes and where the heck did Nic come from, and how did he get in. The shadow he was in seems to magically appear and disappear. Maybe the wiki will one day clarify but the layout has me confused. Also Author does look like he collapsed.

The tomb is a straight long hall with a alcove and stairway hidden in the back right corner. Page 39 shows the back entrance that Nicodemus used to get in when Alex first visited, and Alex used to exit on his second visit. The shadow does seem a bit larger than normal although there is a dark corner there after he moves out. There were flames when Alex visited and although we don’t see them with Arthur they could be concealed with the low angle of the view and the light confused with the sunrise.

I’ll try to clarify the wording and progression of events on the wiki later today.

I am a bit iffy on this page.
Panel one: The sword is very long and the pedestal is nearly at Arthur’s eye level.
Panel two: Somehow Arthur has reached a height in front of the pedestal to exceed the length of the sword to get the tip into the pedestal and the pedestal is crotch height.
Panel three: the pedestal is now about mid-breast in height from the top-most step.
Panel four: the pedestal appears to have shrunk another 2.5 inches.

If you look closely you will notice the steps Arthur is sitting on. The pedestal is head height when he is on the floor, crotch height when standing on the top step. Scott’s program doesn’t randomly change the scale of fixed objects. Quite the contrary.

The alterations clear that up. Though there is still the issue with the first two panels – the sword would have gone in at an angle as Arthur could not reach high enough to get the tip to come down straight on the pedestal. Did he jump up? Fly?